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The Maid of the Cowdean Knowes

Date 23 June 1969
Track ID 63743
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1969.51.A4

Original Tape ID

SA1969.051

Summary

In this song, a young shepherdess is milking her sheep, when she is ravished by a passing nobleman. When she returns home to her father, she describes her ordeal by saying a tod [fox] stole her lamb.

Ethel Findlater learned the song from her husband around fifty years before, though he did not teach her the [improper] middle verse; she later learned the verse from his sister.

Item Notes

5 verses of 4 lines with last line of each verse repeated. Most versions of this song conclude with the nobleman returning and claiming the girl.

See:
'Tocher' 5 (1972) pp. 164-165
Greig-Duncan, vol. 4, pp. 268-275, no. 838
'Scottish Ballads' (E. Lyle, 1994) pp. 151-155
'The Scotish (sic) Minstrel' vol. 2 (R. A. Smith, 1821) p. 45
'Book of Scottish Ballads' (A. Whitelaw, 1845) pp. 288-289
'Ancient Scottish Ballads' (G. R. Kinloch, 1827) pp. 160-169
'Ballads of Scotland' vol. 2 (W. E. Aytoun, 1858) pp. 364-365
'Ancient Ballads and Songs' vol. 1 (P. Buchan, 1828) pp. 167-175
'Minstrelsy Ancient & Modern' (W. Motherwell, 1827) melody no. 10
'Traditional Ballad Airs' vol. 1 (W. Christie, 1876) pp. 126-127, 284
'Ancient & Modern Scottish Songs' vol. 1 (D. Herd, 1869, 1973) pp. 98-99
'Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads' (A. Keith & G. Greig, 1925) pp. 150-153
'Andrew Crawfurd's Collection of Ballads & Songs' (E. Lyle) vol. 1 (1975) pp. 78-81, 125-129; vol. 2 (1996) pp. 135-137
'Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads' vol. 3 (B. H. Bronson & F. J. Child, 1959) pp. 9-10
National Library of Scotland, Broadside Ballad collection, L.C.Fol.70(2b) (1860-1890) & L.C.1270(004) (1840-1850)

Language

English, Scots

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R92 GD838 C217

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good